Congress leader Alamgir Alam, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, has resigned from his positions as Cabinet Minister and leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP).
Alam submitted his resignation for the ministerial post to the Chief Minister and for the CLP leader post to the Congress national president via jail authorities.
Three weeks ago, a Special PMLA court in Ranchi placed Alam on a six-day remand with the ED in connection with the case. Anil Kumar, Additional Solicitor General of India, alleged that a significant amount of cash was recovered from the residence of Alam’s personal secretary, Sanjeev Lal. The ED had summoned Alam to appear at the Ranchi Zonal Office on May 14.
During raids, the ED arrested both Lal and Alam’s domestic help, Jahangir Alam, after discovering Rs 35.23 crore in cash at their premises. Steel trunks filled with cash were removed from Alamgir Alam’s residence in Ranchi on Monday night. The duo was questioned overnight and then taken into custody.
Rajesh Thakur, Jharkhand’s Congress President, expressed discontent with the treatment of Alam, calling him a person of integrity who deserved better legal respect. Thakur suggested a political angle to the arrest, noting that Alam had cooperated fully with the ED.
Thakur stated, “He appeared before the ED, was questioned, and then suddenly arrested. This happened after PM Modi’s speech, so there is a political angle. He wasn’t a flight risk and should have been respected by the law.”
Emphasizing the injustice, Thakur added, “Alam could have requested a delay due to elections, but he didn’t. What happened to him was not right. He could have been called for questioning later. People are witnessing this and will respond accordingly.”
Thakur also affirmed the Congress party’s commitment to cooperating with the legal process while condemning any political exploitation of the situation, stating, “We are against corruption, but political advantage is not acceptable.”
